^!Ui  [TTur-.v.:  No.  l.l 


HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTAT1 "  r  >>rrt  10,  1863.— "Read  first 

and  second   times,  ami   referred  to  Committee  on  Foreign  Relations, 
and  ordered  to  be  printed. 

[By  Mr.  Barksdalk.] 


JOnSTT  KESOLUTIONS 

On  tho  subject  of  the  war,  and  in  regard  to  the  free  navigation  of  the 

Mississippi  River. 

1  Whereas,  The  earnest  efforts  made  by  the  Government  of  the 

2  Confederate  States,  immediately  upon  its  organization,  "  to  estab- 

3  lish   friendly   relations  between   it  and   the   Government  of  the 

4  United  States,  and  to  settle  all.questicns  of  disagreement  between 

5  them  upon   principles  of  right,  equity  and  good  faith,  "  having 

6  proved  unavailing  by  reason  "  of  the  refusal  of  the  Government  of 

7  the  United   States  to  hold  intercourse  with   the .  Commissioners 

8  appointed  by  the  Confederate  Government  for  the  purposes  afore- 

9  said,  or  to  listen  to  any  proposals  'for  a  peaceful  solution  of  all 

10  causes  of  deferences  between  them;"  And  lohereas,  The  Govern- 

11  ment  of  the  United  States  having  waged  war  against  the  Confcd- 

12  erate  States  with  a  purpose  to  reduco  them  to  tho  condition  of 


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13     conquered  provinces,  and  having  conducted  it  contrary  to  the 
11     rules  of  civilized  nation?,  and  the  sacred  rights  of  humanity,  by 

15  the  practice  of  every  barbarity  "which  malice  and  depravity  could 

16  suggest,  with  a  ferocious,  determination  "to  sacrifice  to  disap- 

1?     pointed  vengeance  what  their  injustice  lost  and  their  power  can- 

* 

18  not  regain  ;"  And  whereas,  During  a  fierce,  and  devastating  strug- 

19  gle  of  two  years,  it  has  pleaced  the  Divine  Ruler  of  the  imivprse 

20  to   thwart  the  plans  of  the  wicked  authors  of  the  war,   and  to 

21  bless  the  armies  of  the  Confederate  States  with  favorable  results 


.. 


22  on  the  field  on  battle  ;  And  whereas,  The  conviction  of  the  people 

23  of  the  Confederate  States  in  the  justice  of  their  cause  is  unabated, 

24  and  their  confidence  in  its  final  trfcimph  unshaken,  therefore 

1  Resolved  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of  the  Cdn- 

2  federate   States,  That  necessity  alone  having  forced  the  people  of 

3  these  States  to  take  up  arms  to  maintain  their  right  of  self  gov- 

4  crnment,  and  in  obedience  td  the  principle  of  self  preservation, 

5  which.,  with  nations,  as  with  individuals,  is  the  first  law  of  nature, 

6  they  will  continue  to  make  whatever  sacrifice  may  be  required 

7  for  the  attainment  of  these  just  ends. 

-e*o  ■  ,    ...      ,         .  •  ,  ■ 

1  Resolved,  That  movements  having  been  inaugurated  in  several 

ILc  1o       ,  .  .  , ; 

2  of  the  United  States  looking  to  an  accommodation  of  the  differ- 

3  ence3  existing  between  the  beligerents,  it  is  the  true  policy  of  the 

4  Confederate  States  Government  to  accord  a  respectful  considera- 

lo  flohj  — .    .  !  ;    ...      . .   .....  .       .         R  ^isaa,  '.SI 

5  tion  to  any  proposition  having  that" object  m  view,  provided  ltis 


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6  consistent  with  the  design  to  preserve  its  separate  and  distinctive 

7  national  character,  which  may  be  submitted  by  the  duly  consti- 

8  tuted  authorities  of  any  of  said  States. 

1  Be  it  further  resolved.  That  whenever  any  one  or  more  of  the 

2  said  States  bordering  on  the  Mississippi  River  shall  desist  from 

3  this  unprovoked  war  upon  the   Confederate  States,  the  Govern- 

4  ment  of  these  States  is  prepared  to  waive,  for  the  benefit  of  the 

5  said   States,   its  right,  according  to  the  well   settled  principle  of 

6  international  law,  to  the  sole   and   exclusive  navigation  of  that 

7  portion  of  the  said  stream  which  flows  within  the  limits  of  its 
S  territories,  and  to  secure  to  them  the  free  navigation  thereof  by 
0  treaty   stipulation  as  they  have   already  provided  for  by  legal 

10  enactment. 


